Norman Weir

Major General Sir Norman William McDonald Weir, (6 July 1893 – 11 July 1961) was a professional soldier in the New Zealand Military Forces. He served during the First and Second World Wars, and was Chief of the General Staff of the New Zealand Military Forces from 1946 to 1949.

Early life Weir was born in the Heathcote Valley, near Christchurch. His father, a fireman, was an Irish immigrant while his mother was originally from Christchurch. From an early age, Weir had ambitions of a career in the military. After completing his education at Christchurch West District High School, he was of the first ten cadets from New Zealand to enter the Royal Military College at Duntroon, Australia, in 1911.

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Weir volunteered for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) without having completed his course at Duntroon. He embarked with the main body of the NZEF on 16 October 1914. A lieutenant in the Auckland Infantry Battalion, he participated in the Gallipoli campaign and was wounded during the Second Battle of Krithia on 8 May 1915. He was later repatriated to New Zealand.

Interwar period After recovering from his wounds, Weir joined the New Zealand Staff Corps. He served in a number of staff positions for the next several years. In 1930, he was named commander of a military police contingent that was raised for service in Western Samoa but was ultimately not required. In 1937 he was a colonel and was part of the New Zealand contingent sent to London for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

In December 1942, Weir was posted to the headquarters of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF) in Egypt. He was responsible for the administrative needs of the 2NZEF.

From November 1943, Weir served as commander of New Zealand forces in Egypt. In his new role, he had to oversee the demobilisation of 2NZEF and contend with a military transitioning from a wartime footing to peacetime soldiering. As the threat of the Cold War increased, he favoured the reintroduction of compulsory military training and the reconstitution of the Territorial Force as part of an overall commitment to send forces to the Middle East in the event of war with Russia. He retired from the military in September 1949, having been appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1948 King's Birthday Honours.

Weir spent his later years in Cambridge. He died in Hamilton on 11 July 1961, survived by his wife and daughter. After a funeral service in Cambridge, he was buried at the nearby Hautapu Cemetery.